Don Woodstock (HANDOUT / CHRISD.CA COMPOSITE)
Winnipeg mayoral candidate Don Woodstock says he would rebuild the closed Arlington Bridge in 12 to 18 months at a fixed price of $109 million.
Woodstock announced the plan Friday at the corner of Jarvis Avenue and Sinclair Street, steps from the closed bridge.
The plan would take engineering and project management fully in-house, eliminate third-party markups, introduce 24/7 continuous work shifts and use off-site prefabrication methods.
Woodstock said major engineering firms have won city contracts worth tens of millions of dollars and then subcontracted technical drafting, CAD work and structural design overseas, with the work stamped locally and billed to taxpayers at full Canadian rates.
Under his plan, a dedicated lead engineering corps would handle design and management using the city’s more than 220 staff engineers, supported by talent from the University of Manitoba, Red River College Polytechnic and the University of Winnipeg.
The city would also set a non-negotiable fixed-price cap of $109 million for materials and site labour, using an internal cost-benchmarking framework similar to Manitoba Public Insurance standard rates.
“There is no way in hell a two-lane bridge over a rail yard should take six years to build while gouging taxpayers every step of the way,” Woodstock said. “We are taking the checkbook back, setting a firm price, and putting our own local engineers to work.”
Woodstock also recently announced plans to bring Canada Day festivities back to Osborne Village, and a ban on councillor’s ward allowances for self-promotion advertising.
Winnipeg voters head to the polls on October 28. Advance voting is currently underway.
